The Professionals
by Glamourcat
Summary: An unwilling mutant ally of the Brotherhood kidnaps Jean and Scott. To avoid the obvious trap, Xavier calls in a set of Professionals to retrieve their lost teens.


Title: The Professionals  
  
Author: Glamourcat, Glamourcat@lycos.com  
  
Date: Started 1/9/01  
  
Part: 1/1  
  
Author's Notes: This story is based on the cartoon X-Men: Evolution. This is yet again another attempt to insert the Future Tech Team into a pre- existing X-Men universe. Please note, as always, that all X-Men characters belong to Marvel Comics and are being used without permission and I'm never going to make any money off this. The characters of the Future Tech Team are mine and you can't have them. Thanks again to Kitty for streamlining this into something readable. Please bring your trays and seats into the upright position and enjoy the story.  
  
Logan belatedly realized that he'd been driving for three and a half hours straight. He started to watch for rest stop turn-off signs so he could stretch his legs. He had only meant for this to be a short weekend trip up north, just to clear his head. Three days later he found himself on Interstate 95 heading into Maine. He shook off the feeling that he was deserting his friends at the school. Every now and again, you needed a break from teaching snot-nosed punks how not to get themselves killed. Logan scratched at the five o'clock shadow under his helmet as he started to pull off onto an exit.  
  
Logan parked his motorcycle, pulled off his helmet, and wandered into the convenience store at the highway rest stop. He turned briefly at the sound of another cycle pulling into the Cumberland Farms parking lot. The bike was red with black trim and its driver appeared to be tall, wearing blue jeans, boots, and a brown bomber jacket.  
  
Logan wandered the drink isle, not sure what he was in the mood for as the other bike's driver walked in. The person stopped just inside the door and pulled off the dark red helmet. Long orange-red hair fell out of it. The woman sauntered over to the drink section and grabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a bottle of spring water. The clerk behind the counter looked up from his want adds long enough to look bored and went back to his paper.  
  
"Nice bike," Logan commented to the woman before she left the isle.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, right. Thanks," she answered. "Is that orange and navy one out there yours?"  
  
At his nod she continued. "Looks like it's got all the bells and whistles on it. Must be a fast ride."  
  
"Yeah, sometimes," he replied.  
  
She gave a half-nod and moved into the snack isle. She was staring at the chips when Logan finally picked out a Coke when two men walked in. One was tall and thin, the other short and fat.  
  
Neither the customers nor the store clerk looked up at them until the tall one spoke.  
  
"All right, just open the register and don't try anything funny. Empty all your cash into my buddy's bag and you'll all be okay."  
  
"What the--?" The clerk dropped his newspaper and started to sweat.  
  
The tall man had pulled a gun on the clerk. The short man held a sack in his hands and turned to the woman and Logan, pulling a second gun.  
  
The orange-haired woman held up her hands and froze in place. Logan stiffened, but held his hands away from his body. The short one's eyes were wide with dilated pupils and Logan could smell the nervous perspiration wafting off the man.  
  
The short man turned for a brief moment to watch the clerk filling his bag. The tall man's attention was entirely focused on ordering the clerk around.  
  
Two tin cans flew through the air knocking the guns out of the robbers' hands. The short man dropped his bag and cursed, holding the injured hand. The tall man cursed and turned to see the tall woman arming herself with two more metal cans.  
  
She thunked him on the head with a can of cat food and started to aim the other one.  
  
"Why you--!" he shouted.  
  
Both robbers bent to pick up their guns when Logan hurdled a small display of Slim Jims. He quickly reached the two men as they were still bent over and cracked their heads together. The would-be burglars groaned and collapsed. Logan picked up the guns and emptied the bullet chambers.  
  
"I'd call the police if I were you," the woman said as she walked up to the counter.  
  
"Uh. right. Thanks." the cashier stammered as he picked up the phone.  
  
"You've got a good arm," Logan complimented her.  
  
"Thanks, Furry. Dad taught me how not to throw like a girl," she said as she looked down at the two unconscious men.  
  
"You've got pretty good reaction time yourself. You know, someone might want to tie these guy up or lock them in the bathroom or something."  
  
"Um, I think we can put them in the store room. There's no windows or anything," the cashier told them. "The police are on their way."  
  
"Right." Logan picked up both men and slung them over his shoulders. "Lead the way."  
  
The employee ducked out from behind the counter and led the other man away. The woman went back, picked up her two drinks and picked out a bag of chips. She left the money for the purchase on the counter next to the bag of loot that the two robbers had dropped.  
  
By the time Logan and the clerk got back from the other room she was gone. Logan selected his soda again and went to the counter to pay but the man waved him away from the register.  
  
"No charge man. Not for what you two did." He looked around. "Hey, where'd she go? The police will want to interview you two. You're witnesses."  
  
The thought of staying around for a police interview didn't sound any better to him than it must have to her.  
  
"I'll just go outside and check for her." Logan backed away and out the door.  
  
The woman was stuffing her purchases into a small saddlebag on her bike.  
  
"Hey," he said walking up to her.  
  
"Hey yourself."  
  
"You sticking around for the cops?"  
  
"No," she answered matter-of-factly, tucking her hair back under her helmet. "The state troopers and I have issues. I did my good deed for the day. Right now I'd just like to get home un-hassled."  
  
Logan straddled his bike and pulled his helmet on. "I'm in perfect agreement with yah."  
  
"You have issues with the cops too?" She smiled at him. "So what's your name?"  
  
"Logan. And yours?"  
  
"Catch me, and I might tell you."  
  
She laughed and shut the visor on her helmet. Her bike roared to life as she kicked it into gear and shot out of the parking lot. He coughed in her dust, slammed down his own visor and took off after her.  
  
They sped down the near-empty Maine Turnpike, swerving around the occasional car. Logan caught up to her, pulling alongside her left. She turned to look at him, waved and gunned her engine, leaving him behind once more. She cut in front of a truck and two cars, disappearing from his view. When he changed lanes to move around the vehicles obstructing his view she was gone. There were no exits around and no sign of her anywhere on the road. Logan scanned the side of the road to no avail. She was gone. Logan chuckled to himself as he continued down the highway.  
  
  
  
A woman sat in her office at Bayville High School and rested her hand on her forehead. Shaking out her hair her form shimmered and her body shape-shifted into its natural state. Her blue skin was set off strikingly by her white dress and gloves. Mystique fingered the letter in front of her. This plan was so risky, but if it worked. they'd have Xavier right where they wanted him.  
  
She shimmered back into her guise as Principal Darkholme and pressed the intercom button. "I need to see a student right away. Please send St. John Allerdyce in."  
  
"Of course, Ma'am," the secretary replied through the speaker.  
  
Not five minutes later, a blonde boy entered the office dressed in a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers. He wiped his hands on his pants nervously. Mystique could almost see him reviewing a list of his actions during the past week, trying to figure out what he did to get called to the principal's office.  
  
"St. John," Mystique purred in her disguise as Ms. Darkholme. "I understand that you've been having some problems in the science lab lately. Is there something wrong with all the Bunsen burners you've been using?"  
  
"I swear Ms. Darkholme, I didn't mean." the teen nervously answered.  
  
"Don't worry my young friend. I believe I can make sure that no one questions you on your pyrotechnic accidents."  
  
"What. whaddya mean?" the blonde asked, apprehension growing.  
  
"Well, let me detail it for you."  
  
  
  
The final bell rang and students spilled out of Bayville High School from all doors they could fit through.  
  
Scott Summers and Jean Grey slammed their lockers shut and made their way out of the school. Halfway to Scott's car, they heard screaming while in the background. The sound of the fire alarm blared like a bunch of car horns in rush hour traffic.  
  
"What's going on?" Scott asked, looking back over his shoulder. A cloud of thick black smoke drifted up from the back end of the main building.  
  
"The cafeteria!" Jean exclaimed. "It's on fire." She paused and closed her eyes, touching a hand to her forehead. "There's still someone in there! A boy, trapped by the fire."  
  
"It never ends, does it?" Scott sighed, dropping his stuff.  
  
"Or course not, Scott!" Jean said.  
  
"Come on!" He called.  
  
"I'm right behind you."  
  
Scott and Jean could hear the fire engines in the distance as they made their way into the cafeteria thanks to a discrete "door" near the source of the cries coming from the kitchen area. The teen X-Men burst in only to be confronted by the most orderly set of flames they'd ever seen.  
  
The fire was contained to the ovens in the kitchen without igniting the gas lines. It burned hot enough to produce the fearsome looking smoke without actually spreading or truly doing serious damage. In the middle of it was a blonde boy that they only vaguely knew.  
  
"Are. are you okay?" Jean cautiously asked, approaching him slowly.  
  
"I'm. I'm sorry," he answered.  
  
"Sorry?" Scott repeated as he took a step back. "Jean! It's a trap!"  
  
He turned and tried to run but hit the massive form of the Blob face- first. Jean gasped as Mystique clad once more in her own natural blue skin and white dress emerged from the shadows of the fire with the rest of her erstwhile team.  
  
The last thing either of the X-Men remembered was the smoke in the room getting and their lungs burning as everything went dark.  
  
  
  
Xavier crumpled the handwritten note that had arrived with the day's mail. Putting a hand to his forehead he scanned the school grounds with his mind. Finding nothing he was looking for, he expanded his search past the school and into the town. Still nothing. He rested for a moment before sending a mental summons out to his remaining students and staff.  
  
One by one, they filed into his study. Storm, ever silent and introspective. Kitty and Kurt were bickering with Spike and Rogue over who had won the volleyball game. To his surprise, Logan trailed the others into the room.  
  
"Logan! I wasn't aware that you'd returned from your road trip," Storm said.  
  
"I heard the Prof calling as I pulled up the driveway." Logan pushed back the cowboy hat he wore, "Looks like it's a fortunate thing I made good time on the road home."  
  
"You never said we couldn't use powers!" Kurt said as he poked a finger into Spike's shoulder. "If we weren't supposed to, you should have mentioned it before the game!"  
  
"Kitty, Evan, Rogue, Kurt!" Xavier called the teens to task. "We do not have time for a squabble."  
  
"What's wrong Professor?" Storm asked, growing instantly uneasy at his tone with the children.  
  
"Scott and Jean have been kidnapped by Magneto's team," Xavier answered, tossing the note in Wolverine's direction.  
  
The other man picked it up, unfurled it, and read out it loud. "Dear Charles, I believe I have some things of yours in my possession. If you would like them back, my Brotherhood of Mutants shall be waiting for you at the address below. If you do not show up by tomorrow at noon, I will assume you do not wish to renew their scholarships."  
  
Wolverine passed the note to Storm. She read it and handed the threatening letter back to the professor.  
  
"Scott and Jean are being held at the abandoned air base up north," Storm said. "It was closed down and all sensitive material relocated when the military budget cuts happened just after the Korean War."  
  
"We've got to go in after them," Wolverine said, preternaturally calm considering the situation.  
  
"No. We don't," The professor mused.  
  
"What?" Kurt and Kitty exploded at the same time.  
  
"I've a bad feeling about this. Magneto obviously spent a lot of time planning a trap this elaborate," Xavier explained. "He is expecting us to walk right into this set-up of his. His mutant team has been trained to combat our own. Since they'll have the 'home-base benefit' and Magneto with them, they will have the advantage over us in every instance. We'd be pulling our blows for fear of them hurting Scott and Jean."  
  
"So what are we going to do instead?" Storm asked.  
  
"We call in the professionals," he said as he turned and wheeled out of the room.  
  
"Huh?" The kids looked at each other, confused.  
  
  
  
  
  
In less than two hours Xavier had the entire team out on the front lawn to meet the "professionals" he contacted.  
  
"I feel incredibly stupid just standing here," Spike complained. "I mean, what are they supposed to do? Appear out of thin air? You only called them two hours ago. No one could have gotten here that fast!"  
  
"Two corrections Spike," Storm said, patting her nephew on the shoulder. "One, Kurt regularly appears out of thin air. And two, Quicksilver could have easily gotten here from Florida in two hours."  
  
"Picky, picky," Spike muttered shrugging out from under his aunt's hand.  
  
"So what are we waiting for?" Wolverine asked.  
  
"To be honest. I'm not sure," The professor told him. "I spoke with the team's second-in-command and she said that they'd all be arriving separately under their own power."  
  
"Great, so we can get invaded from all sides," Wolverine snorted.  
  
"Something like that, mate," a male's British voice spoke from just to the left of Wolverine.  
  
"What the--?" Wolverine jumped back in surprise. He sniffed the air. "There's nothing there."  
  
"Sure there is, you just can't detect me when I'm like this." The air shimmered and a blonde man of about 5'9", dressed in a black bodysuit with a pair of goggles hanging around his neck, appeared.  
  
Wolverine's claws came out. "Who are you, bub?"  
  
"Well that's a fine way to treat a bloke you hired." The British man took one step to the side and was suddenly twelve feet away from where he'd been.  
  
"How'd you do that?" Kitty asked.  
  
"My husband possesses super-speed as one of his mutant abilities, among others," a woman's voice spoke from out of mid-air.  
  
"All right, will some one tell us who THAT was?" Kurt begged.  
  
"My wife, The Mezmerizer," the British man told them. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm known as Badlands."  
  
"But where did the voice come from?" Kitty asked.  
  
A bright flash of gold and red light pulsated in front of them, near to where Badlands stood. A small Asian-American woman dressed in a red bodysuit and a black cloak stepped out from the center of the light.  
  
"I am telepathic little one. What you hear is my mental voice being projected," The Mezmerizer explained.  
  
"What's wrong with using your speaking voice? That's creepy," Spike shivered.  
  
The Mezmerizer slid under her husband's arm as he answered for her. "She was born mute, boy. She doesn't have any other voice besides her telepathic one."  
  
Spike turned a very interesting shade of red.  
  
"Is this what we were waiting for?" Wolverine nodded in the direction of the couple as he addressed the professor.  
  
"Not exactly, it was my understanding that there were four of you," the professor stated.  
  
"Our fearless leader and team second are on their way," Badlands grinned. "We decided to race here. I won, as usual."  
  
"Don't get smug. Glow will have you on kitchen duty for a month," his wife teased.  
  
"Glow?" Wolverine questioned.  
  
"Actually, that should be her right there," Badlands shaded his eyes and pointed to the sky.  
  
The X-Men followed his point to see a rapidly approaching splash of yellow light heading their way.  
  
"And that should be Whirlwind right behind her. It's gonna be a close one this time," Badlands said.  
  
The light grew brighter the closer it became. The kids on the X-Men team scattered as it neared. The older members stood there and waited. The light struck the ground surprisingly gently; barely stirring up so much as a dust cloud and slowly began to fade.  
  
A woman with orange-red hair dressed all in green knelt before the group with one hand touching the ground. She tossed her hair out of her eyes that matched her locks in color. Slowly she unfolded herself and stood up. At her full height she stood six feet even.  
  
"Whoa." Wolverine spoke so softly he wasn't even aware he had.  
  
Glow stared at them in stony silence with her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"And last but certainly not least, our illustrious team second, the ever-beauteous." Badlands started a flourishing speech.  
  
"Stuff it, Badlands."  
  
The remaining member of the team, a woman with brown hair and a blue and silver costume around the same height as Badlands, landed just behind Glow.  
  
"What the heck was that? Where do you get off cheating in a race?"  
  
"Cheating? What cheating?" Glow said, turning to her team second with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Using static electricity to stick me to a traffic helicopter!" Whirlwind thundered.  
  
"Oh, and I suppose diverting an entire jet stream right in front of me wasn't cheating?" Glow snorted. "Consider it field training."  
  
Whirlwind stuck her tongue out at the taller woman.  
  
"Excuse me," the professor cleared his throat and broke into the conversation as politely as he could. "But if we could get back to the matter at hand."  
  
"Of course, forgive me," Glow turned back to the elder gentleman. "Badlands, course the ground. Whirlwind takes the aerial. Mez."  
  
"On it," the woman answered as Whirlwind leapt back into the air and flew off. The air shimmered around Badlands and he disappeared again.  
  
"Sorry about the security sweep but it's standard procedure for us," Glow apologized.  
  
"What in blue blazes do you think you're doing?" Wolverine extracted his claws and moved towards her. Storm held out one restraining arm.  
  
"Ensuring the security of my people. Whirlwind, Badlands-report," Glow commanded the empty air.  
  
Badlands reappeared just to the left of Glow. "Ground's clear. Appears to be a training facility. Can you believe it? They had only health food in the fridge and you should see the room they've got downstairs."  
  
"WHAT?!" Wolverine exploded.  
  
"Air's clear," Whirlwind said, landing to the right of the orange- haired woman. "The surface is a school grounds with covert training areas. It backs up our research to date."  
  
"Mez?" Glow asked.  
  
"The story rings true the same in all of their minds," she told her team leader. "All I'm getting is frustration and concern for a woman named Jean and a man named Scott. Oh, and he (she pointed to Wolverine) thinks you have nice legs, Glow. And the kid with the tail thinks you're gorgeous Whirlwind."  
  
Kurt managed to turn a deeper shade of blue and Wolverine sputtered a denial of The Mezmerizer's accusation.  
  
"Thank you Mez, I'll file some of that under useless information," Glow smiled and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Sorry kid, but you're gonna have to wait until you're legal before you ask me out," Whirlwind winked at the teenager, causing him to teleport away and behind Storm in mortification.  
  
"So I'm assuming this is a standard search and rescue mission?" Glow queried. "Have you received a ransom note or an ultimatum from the kidnappers?"  
  
"Why, yes. We have actually. If you would all come inside I can give you the particulars," Xavier waved to the front of the mansion.  
  
Glow glanced over her shoulder at the telepath on her team. When the woman nodded, Glow turned away and followed Xavier.  
  
"I don't like this," Wolverine muttered.  
  
"You don't have to, Furry," Glow whispered into his ear as she walked next to him.  
  
"What did you call me?" He was taken aback.  
  
"You heard me right the first time, Furry." She smiled at him and her eyes changed color. They went from brilliant orange to a cool, clear blue.  
  
"You!" he cried in surprise.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd recognize me," she half-laughed and then stopped, regarding him with an appraising look. "You know, your legs aren't half bad either."  
  
She walked away, catching up to the professor, Storm, and Whirlwind.  
  
Wolverine turned around to see the teenagers snickering behind their hands at him. What really irked him though, was that Whirlwind was laughing too.  
  
  
  
Glow and her team stood around the table in the dining room as Xavier went over the information they had about Magneto and the location of the hostages. The X-students had unconsciously arranged themselves around the room so that they were surrounding the hired team. Storm sat next to the professor, silently observing everyone while Logan leaned against the doorframe, periodically growling.  
  
Glow read the note, then passed it to her team second.  
  
Turning her full attention to Xavier, she questioned him. "Okay, I'm assuming this Magneto has a serious grudge match going with you, or he'd be asking for a monetary reward for the return of your students. In that case, I'm assuming that since he's expecting your people, he's got an arsenal the size of the U.S. government's up his sleeve."  
  
"Which means this becomes a high-risk operation. If one of us is injured during this op, we get damage pay and hospital coverage," Whirlwind said, finishing her team leader's sentence.  
  
"What do you know about the people Magneto has working for him?" Badlands asked.  
  
"There are three boys, one called Avalanche." Xavier started to answer, but was cut off by Glow.  
  
"BOYS? You mean kids, like their age kids?" Glow gasped, pointing to Kurt and Evan.  
  
"Magneto's team is made up of adolescents who can't possibly be in full control of their powers yet, and he's setting them up as the guards for his hostages?!" Whirlwind said, disbelieving the absurdity of their current mission.  
  
"It does sound kind of weird when you think about it," Kurt commented.  
  
Glow looked at the rest of her team.  
  
"Kid gloves-EVERYONE. Got that?" she ordered as she stared everyone down, spending the most time focused on Whirlwind.  
  
"No arguments Glow," The Mezmerizer said.  
  
"He's expecting you by noon tomorrow at the latest, possibly tonight in order to use the dark as cover, so that means we leave immediately while it's still daylight," Glow said.  
  
"We could be home in time for a late supper," Badlands quipped.  
  
"Get me the layouts of that base, Whirlwind," Glow ordered.  
  
"Mez? My laptop?" the team-second asked.  
  
The Mezmerizer touched a hand to her forehead and her eyes lost focus. A small flash of red light popped up in front of Whirlwind and faded. Whirlwind caught the laptop in mid air, sat down at the table, and opened the computer.  
  
"You can teleport things?" Kurt asked the Mezmerizer. "That's so cool! I can't do that-I think."  
  
"It's telepathy based teleportation and uses a form of telekinesis. Small objects are easy, larger things get harder to move the farther away they are," Mez explained.  
  
"Got it," Whirlwind announced.  
  
The hired ops team huddled around her laptop, screening it from view of anyone else in the room. They studied it for ten minutes in perfect silence. At least, it seemed that way. They said nothing out loud but their facial expressions changed as if they were conversing.  
  
"Anything interesting? Something we could help with?" Storm asked, the quiet finally getting to her.  
  
"No, we're set," Glow reassured her. "We'll be leaving now. We should have your missing teenagers back in a few hours."  
  
"Badlands, you're on point."  
  
"Right!"  
  
The man vanished from sight, and Logan felt a strong breeze whoosh by him out the door.  
  
"Mez, you've got carrier. Whirlwind, you're backup for Badlands-keep him covered," Glow continued to issue her orders.  
  
"And you oh, fearless leader?" Whirlwind teased, shutting her laptop.  
  
"I get to kick Magneto's butt."  
  
"You always save the fun parts for yourself!" the woman whined as she handed her laptop back to the Mezmerizer who teleported it away.  
  
"You two do realize how unprofessional this looks, right?" she asked.  
  
Glow sighed. "Just get moving!"  
  
Mez and Whirlwind left the room. Glow faced Xavier and Storm.  
  
"We will be back-with Scott and Jean in one piece."  
  
The tall woman strode past Logan on her way out. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving.  
  
"What makes you think you can just walk in here, joke around like a bunch of rookies, and waltz out again? Do you even know what you're doing? What and WHO's at stake here?" he growled.  
  
"Logan!" Xavier reprimanded.  
  
"No, it's okay," Glow said.  
  
She became enveloped with a yellow aura. Logan raised an eyebrow but didn't back off. His mistake.  
  
There was a popping noise, a loud crackle, and some white light.  
  
"HOLY CROW!" Evan cried as Logan was electrocuted and thrown backwards into the dining table.  
  
Logan grunted in pain as he sat up, shifting pieces of the shattered wood table out of his lap.  
  
"We were hired to do a job, and it will be done. You have my word as head of the Future Tech Team. You just keep your attitude out of our way and let us do what we're being paid to do," Glow said, her voice icy.  
  
She turned to leave, paused, and then called back over her shoulder. "You can take the cost of the table out of our fee."  
  
  
  
Logan stood up after the Glow left the room. He grabbed onto Storm's offered hand for balance as the room did an unexpected 180-degree turn. When his head stopped spinning he pulled away from his team-mate and stormed out the door with Xavier calling after him.  
  
"Logan! Logan! Are you all right? Where are you going?"  
  
A low growl answered him from some distance down the hallway.  
  
While Xavier and Storm went after Wolverine, the remaining members of the team looked at each other.  
  
Kitty grinned first, followed by Evan and Kurt.  
  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kitty asked.  
  
"But of course, my lady!" Evan said, "Mr. Logan's going after them, and we should be with him, right?"  
  
"After all, we are X-Men, and X-Men stick together!" Kurt added.  
  
"I don't know guys," Rogue said, remaining the one voice of reason. "Look what that chick did to the great Wolverine."  
  
Rogue pointed to the table while she spoke, and used "air quotations" around the words great and Wolverine to emphasize her point.  
  
"If she can do that to him, maybe she and her team DO know what they're doing. We could get in the way."  
  
"Aw, you're just saying that cause you're still jealous of Jean. With her gone, you get to be the princess!" Evan said wickedly, knowing which buttons to push.  
  
"I am not! You take that back you little weasel!" Rogue grabbed the front of his shirt.  
  
"Whoa, let's talk about this on the way there," Kurt said, touching his hands to their shoulders.  
  
Kitty took his cue and put her hand on his shoulder. Kurt teleported them out of the room before anyone else could say something.  
  
  
  
Xavier and Storm had been unable to stop Logan from leaving in an ill- tempered huff. He'd sealed off the exits of the Blackbird and had taken off before Xavier could cue the security system. There was nothing for them to do but worry-until they realized that their remaining students were missing too. Then they panicked.  
  
  
  
Setting the Blackbird on autopilot, Logan went into the back to suit up.  
  
Opening the door between the cockpit and the cargo area he heard muffled voices.  
  
"Shh. he's coming."  
  
"Stuff it, we know."  
  
"Get yer elbow outa mah face!"  
  
The man groaned. "I'm getting so sick of this. First thing I'm doing when I get home is teleport-proofing this bird. All right! Everyone out!"  
  
Nightcrawler, Rogue, Shadowcat, and Spike tumbled out of the lockers on the sides of the room.  
  
"Uh, Hi!" Nightcrawler waggled his fingers at Logan from the floor where Shadowcat had landed on top of him.  
  
"AH said, GET YOUR ELBOW OUTTA MAH FACE!" Rogue shouted, throwing Evan off her.  
  
He tumbled backwards and landed roughly against the lockers. The impact loosed two of his "bone lances" and Logan was forced to extract his claws and cut them in half before they punctured something important on the Blackbird's equipment.  
  
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" the older man roared.  
  
The kids jumped up and snapped to attention.  
  
"That's better," Logan said. "It's too late for me to take you back, and there's no point in telling you to stay out of it when we get there- since you won't listen anyway."  
  
He glared at Kitty and Kurt in particular. When Evan snickered at them Logan turned that glare on him.  
  
"What you are going to do is follow orders! Got it?"  
  
"Yes sir!" Rogue chimed in.  
  
Logan turned his fierce look on her, one eyebrow raised, unable to decide if she was being sarcastic or not.  
  
"Strap yourselves in," Logan ordered.  
  
The kids complied as he pulled his costume out of his locker and marched back into the cockpit, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Well, that went well," Kitty said.  
  
The other three turned their stares on her.  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
Magneto stationed Toad as a look out with the Blob as the next line of defence on the main entrance into the compound. Avalanche guarded the rear. Quicksilver was to act as a relay and coordinate the two groups, providing backup for Avalanche. Magneto himself stood guard over his two unconscious captives. Mystique was hidden somewhere in the shadows behind him, providing cover fire for him should he need it.  
  
Scott Summers and Jean Grey had been among Charles's first students. There was no way his old comrade would leave them to suffer such humiliating captivity.  
  
He'd planned for every contingency. up to and including his own team's inability to work together. Traps were laced through the whole complex. Some his boys knew about, some they didn't. Magneto meant to put them all out of commission at once if he could, severely cripple them long- term if he couldn't. Anything to buy him time and keep them off his tail during the execution of his continuing plans.  
  
Something breezed by him, stirring up a cloud of dust. Quicksilver no doubt, making his relay run to the back of the set of buildings. He gave it no second thought. Turning back to the platform he had his prisoners chained to he stopped and cursed.  
  
They were gone!  
  
"QUICKSILVER!" Magneto bellowed.  
  
The white-haired boy skidded to a stop right in front of him.  
  
"Where are they? How'd they get past you and the others?"  
  
"Whoa, hey, what are you talking about? Where are who? Nothing got past us!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Something in Magneto's voice made Quicksilver shrink back. "Then where are they?"  
  
Magneto pointed to the platform. Quicksilver followed his gaze to where Scott and Jean were missing.  
  
"Holy Crow! Where'd they go?"  
  
"That's what I'd like to find out. NOW!" Magneto roared, taking to the air to scan the base.  
  
"Right boss! I'm on it!" Quicksilver jumped into full gear to alert his teammates on either side of the compound.  
  
Mystique sat in her hidden perch inside the window of a building behind where her boss had trussed up the two kids. She'd looked away for one second to check the battery charge on her laser gun, and when she looked back up the two teens she'd gone through so much trouble to kidnap had vanished.  
  
She turned to the frightened boy behind her.  
  
"You'd better hope that you had nothing to do with this. Or you'll regret it, Pyro."  
  
The blonde student gulped and shrank back from her.  
  
She snorted in disgust. Mystique knew he couldn't have orchestrated this; St. John was just a convenient scapegoat-as she knew she would be for Magneto if his plans were spoiled.  
  
She stood and slammed the butt of her gun into the side of his head, knocking the boy out. Satisfied that he was no longer a threat, she left to help the search.  
  
Mystique did not see the lighter he'd been playing with slip from his hand as he fell. Or the sparks fly from it and catch on the corner of an old wooden desk.  
  
Badlands started breathing again when Magneto and his underling. :was this guy really employing kids? Sick!: When they left. He'd gotten past the big guy easily with his super speed and powers of invisibility. Touching Jean and Scott had added them to his protective sphere of concealment. Now his chief problem was getting these chains off of them so he could lift them out of here.  
  
Darling, I don't suppose you could work your telekinetic magic, do you?  
  
"Sorry, those locks are electronic. I'll get Glow. With me guiding her, she won't strike you or the rescuees."  
  
I hope not.  
  
Badlands ended his telepathic communication with his wife and sat tight, keeping as quiet as possible.  
  
  
  
Mezmerizer sent a tentative thought thread to their team leader. "Glow? Mike's got a problem. Those locks on the chains holding Jean and Scott are electronic. He can't break them without calling attention to the fact that they're still there, and I can't unlock that type with my telekinesis."  
  
Damn. Glow thought for a bit before sending back to Mez, Can you teleport the two out?  
  
"Not as long as they're chained. That platform makes them too heavy to move. I could move them, but not far enough away, and I wouldn't have any juice left to pull us out if need be."  
  
Right. So, I guess I'll go pick a fight with the big Sparky Dude and 'conveniently' miss a few shots to short out the locks.  
  
"You read my mind."  
  
Glow's sense of humor wasn't lost, even now, No, that's your job.  
  
Breaking off contact with Mez, Glow broke her cover, startling Avalanche who hadn't realized there was anyone near him, much less five feet away.  
  
"That's why I won't ever use kids in my fights. Lack of observation skills," Glow laughed, flying upwards where Avalanche's power would have no impact on her and she would get Magneto's attention.  
  
She got what she wanted.  
  
"What? Who are you?" Magneto thundered his question, voice booming like a kettledrum.  
  
"Call me Glow. I was just passing through the neighbourhood when I noticed that your building was on fire and."  
  
"So Charles thinks he can distract me with a new ally does he? Well, girl, you can tell him."  
  
"No, really your building's on fire!" Glow pointed, flying around in a large circle forcing him to turn and follow her.  
  
The orange-haired woman had been telling the truth. The building that Badlands, Jean, and Scott were stuck next to was on fire.  
  
"Distractions! You play with me! Where are the X-Men?"  
  
"Whirlwind! That blaze is headed for our team! Can you divert it?" Glow shouted with her mind, confident that Mez would relay her request.  
  
"On it Fearless Leader!" Whirlwind dropped from the sky above Magneto, landing on his head, and pushing back off his helmet as if he were a springboard.  
  
Enraged, Magneto sent a ripple of magnetic energy after the woman, trying to disrupt the wind patterns holding her aloft.  
  
"Uh-huh, not allowed!" Glow charged the waves with her own power, turning it into electro-magnetic energy she could channel. She turned half of it on Magneto and half of it downward, being guided to the wristlocks by a mental picture from the Mezmerizer.  
  
She heard Mez's mental cheer as she took out the arm locks on the two teens and was informed that one more shot was needed for the leg locks.  
  
Powering up and taking a defensive stance against Magneto who was in the process of tearing up an old generator to fling at her, Glow braced herself, waiting for the right timing.  
  
Below them, Whirlwind was doing her best to use her power to suck the air out of the flames in order to smother them, but the most she could do was clear a swath around the building.  
  
Magneto threw the generator, forcing Glow to dive and duck. She rolled in mid-air one hand aimed up at Magneto and one below her. She fired off two bolts of electricity and was rewarded with another mental shout of success.  
  
She felt Mez pull out of her mind as she focused on Badlands. Confident that her teammates would pull the kids to safety Glow concentrated on not getting killed by the formidable man in front of her.  
  
  
  
"Looks like the fun started without us," Wolverine said, now fully suited up, as were the rest of his small team, watched out the front window of the Blackbird.  
  
"Who do you think started that fire?" Shadowcat asked.  
  
"I don't see Scott or Jean anywhere," Spike said. "Bad sign, right?"  
  
Wolverine put the Blackbird in hover. "Depends. Look there!"  
  
He pointed to a patch of sky in front of them where Glow and Magneto danced in an intricate pattern of white electricity and flung metal objects.  
  
"Ready to go?" Wolverine asked.  
  
"You bet, Boss Man!" Nightcrawler gave him the thumbs up and was rewarded with an odd glance.  
  
"Teleport the others to ground level, fan out, take care of any goons you find, and look for Jean and Scott," the man ordered.  
  
"Right." The group closely banded around Nightcrawler and vanished.  
  
Logan set the Blackbird down and leapt out, scenting for his lost students.  
  
  
  
"So there they are," Magneto said as he caught sight of the Blackbird landing. "I was wondering how long you were going to delay for them."  
  
"What?" Flying up and twisting until it looked like she was standing on her head in mid-air, Glow caught sight of the X-Men's jet--and Wolverine climbing out of it.  
  
Angry wasn't the word for her. Glow fought an extreme urge to call off her fight with Magneto and throw Wolverine through a whole furniture store! Her nostrils flared as she charged up to her highest voltage. Magneto's mistake lay in turning his back on her, thinking that she was nothing more threatening than a diversionary tactic by Xavier until his own team could get there.  
  
A glowing white ball of energy, the leader of the Future Tech Team unleashed a fury like that of a wrathful god. Knocked from the sky and unconscious, Magneto plummeted to the ground.  
  
Below them Toad saw Magneto take the hit.  
  
"Hey Blobby! You'd better get him before he turns into road pizza."  
  
"While he's doing that, how about you and I have a little chat?" Nightcrawler said as he snuck up behind Toad and touched his shoulder.  
  
Toad suddenly found himself in the middle of the surrounding forest.  
  
Elsewhere on the old military base, Whirlwind was doing her best to help fight a fire. Badlands had removed Jean first, using his power to get her to Mez's hidden location in the forest. On his way back to get Scott, who was now visible, he almost ran headlong into Quicksilver. The boy was also moving at lightning speed, dodging several darts of a strange substance. Behind him was-- :saints help him--that kid Evan on a skateboard. What sane person goes into battle on a skateboard?:  
  
Badlands grabbed Quicksilver's collar and then caught Spike's. Cursing the wasted time, he looped back around to the front entranceway, weaving in and out of the traps Mez warned him about, gleaning them from Magneto's mind. Stopping in front of Shadowcat and Nightcrawler, Badlands uncloaked himself, unceremoniously dumping the two kids on the ground.  
  
"Get. The. Bloody. Hell. Out. Of. Here." His voice went ice cold as he spoke.  
  
"Oh? And who's gonna make us?" Blob asked, looming up behind the Brit, casting a shadow over the smaller man.  
  
"I haven't got the time for this," Badlands said, sounding more tired than angry now. "This is a war zone boyo, and no fit place for you."  
  
Without even looking back to see that Blob had Magneto draped over his shoulder, Badlands cloaked again and headed off to find Scott.  
  
Returning to the platform where he'd left the older teen, Badlands found that Whirlwind had given up fighting the fire and had lifted up the unconscious victim. Carrying him in a fireman's hold, she was fighting her way through the smoke. The building looked ready to collapse.  
  
"Here. I'll take him; you get airborne and see if you can't shift the wind away from us. This smoke is intolerable."  
  
Whirlwind gratefully surrendered her burden. "Right. Where's Glow?"  
  
"Mezzy says she's on the back front. Another one of those damned kids picked a fight with one of Magneto's."  
  
Whirlwind shook her head. "How fast things got out of hand when they showed up!"  
  
"Hey, look at it this way, we can charge more." Badlands said, vanishing from sight.  
  
Whirlwind felt the breeze of his passing and launched herself into the air.  
  
  
  
Glow had her hands full. That gloomy girl Rogue was trying to get close to Avalanche--why, Glow couldn't fathom. Avalanche certainly wasn't letting it happen. Rogue spent more time on her rear end than she did making headway on battling the other's earthquakes.  
  
Sighing Glow dove in, meaning to give Avalanche a low-grade shock. Just enough to put him out, not enough to hurt him.  
  
Wolverine beat her there. Avalanche had been so concerned with keeping Rogue away that he hadn't noticed Wolverine sneaking up behind him.  
  
Wolverine gave the boy a "love tap" and the earth's tremors gave one more heave, then stopped.  
  
Whirlwind was watching from her position above as she channelled wind into a funnel, sucking the smoke away from the buildings and into the upper atmosphere.  
  
The place was ablaze from the out of control fire. Whirlwind had no hope of putting it out; it would have to run its course. She blinked, unsure if she was really seeing someone walking out of that mess.  
  
Whirlwind saw Mystique take aim through the smoke.  
  
"Glow! Heads up!" Whirlwind shouted a second too late.  
  
Glow was struck in the chest by a laser beam from Mystique's gun. She screamed and fell from the sky.  
  
"NO!" Wolverine roared as he ran and leapt, catching her moments before she would have impacted with the cement ground.  
  
"You okay?" he asked, touching down while still cradling her in his arms.  
  
"Sara."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said that if you ever caught me I'd tell you my name," Glow replied. "It's Sara."  
  
Wolverine smiled and grunted in acknowledgement.  
  
"Now put me down so I can go kick that blue chick's butt!" Glow ordered.  
  
Wolverine complied and the two went back into the fight after separate targets.  
  
It had taken precious minutes to find the X-Men and force them to regroup at Mez's location. When the teens looked like they would rebel, Mez took things into her own hands--or mind. Using a telepathic compulsion she drew them all, including Wolverine, out of the fray.  
  
Glow and Whirlwind regrouped with them, leaving Mystique to take care of her own motley team.  
  
Jean was starting to come around when the two women reached the site.  
  
"Um. ow. what happened?"  
  
"You're safe now. We'll be taking you home as soon as we know there's no injuries," Glow told the girl.  
  
"Scott!" Jean bolted straight up, only to grab her head in pain. Mez pulled her into her arms, steadying the girl.  
  
"He's fine, he's still out. Concussion I think," Wolverine answered, reassuring Jean.  
  
"What happened to John?" Jean asked, slightly disorientated.  
  
"John? What John? We weren't told about a third kidnapped kid." Glow was visibly upset.  
  
"He started the fire that gave Mystique the cover to capture us. I think he's a mutant too," Jean explained, becoming more coherent as she talked.  
  
"When we woke up here, he was with them, but he was fighting with Lance and the others. Mystique finally dragged him off and locked him up in the building behind us. We got knocked out again after that. I don't remember anything else."  
  
"Oh my. That blaze!" Glow's eyes widened in horror.  
  
"Already gone," Badlands said as he moved into action, not even bothering to cloak.  
  
It was the most intense two minutes of Future Tech's career.  
  
  
  
Badlands reached the compound grounds and the building in an eye blink, stopping at the doorway. The flames licked up the side of the structure like a hungry cat after cream.  
  
"I'm here. I have a lock on a human mind, upper floor, to the left."  
  
Badlands sighed with audible relief as his wife linked with his mind, showing him the location of the boy. Even moving as fast as he does he wouldn't have been able to search the entire place and come out unscathed.  
  
Sprinting into the old offices Badlands followed Mez's mental directions.  
  
"Holy Hells!" Badlands yelled as he made one misstep and almost went through the floor.  
  
"Michael?" Mez's voice was panicked.  
  
"Still here darling," Badlands answered both out loud and in his mind. "Where to now?"  
  
"He should be in the room to the left of you, last one in the hall."  
  
Badlands entered, still moving fast enough to have the flames pass around him. He stopped dead.  
  
The blonde teen was there, passed out on the floor, a wound on his forehead. But there were no flames on him. Not on the floor under him, nor in a two foot circle around him. The fire in this room wasn't smoky, and the inferno that raged elsewhere in the building wasn't in evidence here. The flames where small, controlled, and almost pleasant in the pictures they made as they danced.  
  
The British man shook himself out of his amazed daze and picked up the boy. The circle of protection that had been around John moved with them. As Badlands ran back out and to his team, he marvelled as the fire bowed out of their way.  
  
  
  
  
  
Arriving back with John, Badlands handed him over to Wolverine and promptly collapsed, his head in his wife's lap.  
  
"He's untouched," Whirlwind said as she examined first John and then Badlands. "You're burned, Badlands, but not badly."  
  
"Those are just from the trip in. On the way out, somethin' kept all the flames away from us."  
  
"I think it was John," Jean said. "I think that's his power."  
  
"It bloody well saved his life," Badlands said, closing his eyes as Mez stroked his hair.  
  
"I'm requesting a ride back for me and my team. Seeing as how you put us at risk, it's the least you could do. We almost had them out of there before you showed up."  
  
"Hey!" Shadowcat leapt up to defend Wolverine.  
  
"Stow it, half-pint," Wolverine said. "Like the lady said, it's the least we could do. We weren't much of a help back there, and we made them into targets."  
  
The young X-Men hung their heads.  
  
"Don't look so glum. I'm the one who's gonna have to explain this to Charles."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was an uneventful ride home with Whirlwind treating only the most superficial of their wounds. It was also blissfully quiet compared to the raking over they got from Storm in the hanger. It quickly became apparent to the youths that they were grounded for life. Treating John, who was still out cold, distracted Storm for a while. Still, they were lucky.  
  
If any of the kids had been listening outside the door of Xavier's office, they definitely wouldn't have traded places with Logan for the entire world.  
  
"All right, Logan. I'm waiting to hear why you put the lives of Scott and Jean, along with the members of the Future Tech Team, AND the rest of the children at stake because you couldn't follow the simple order to stay home." Xavier's voice took on an ominous, threatening tone.  
  
Glow answered before Logan could. She put her hand on Logan's shoulder and said, "They're his family. He was worried. So were those kids."  
  
"I can't say I agree with his actions, but I can understand them."  
  
"I'll tell you what, no extra charge for babysitting the tag-a-longs," Glow threw in as a final bargaining chip.  
  
"It appears I'm outmatched in this matter. Very well, Logan, it looks like I'm not going to be giving you a 'safety of our students' lecture."  
  
Correctly interpreting this as a dismissal Logan and Glow left Xavier's office.  
  
Once outside the office, Logan, much to his embarrassment, realized she just got him out of a lot of trouble, both with the kidnappers and Xavier.  
  
"I guess I owe you an apolo."  
  
Glow cut him off, "How about you take me out to dinner Friday and we'll call it even?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her brashness and smiled despite himself. Agreeing, they shook on it and Glow walked away. Logan watched her go with a smug look on his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Glow wandered into the living room looking for her teammates. It was just about time for them to leave. She'd certainly be glad to get home and relax in the tub for a while.  
  
When she entered Badlands was showing off for the kids while Mez and Jean rested on the couch. Using his ability to make himself invisible, and then to move with super speed Badlands was switching objects all over the room to incorrect places. He even switched Rogue's earphones with Jean's sunglasses, and put Kitty's hair band in Evan's hair.  
  
Seeing his chief enter the room, he pulled the hair elastic from Evan's hair (causing the boy to yelp) and braided Glow's hair in a side-swept ponytail.  
  
She sighed, started to pull the elastic out of her hair, and fixed her locks.  
  
"Aren't you ever going to grow up? Shouldn't you be setting a good example for them or something?"  
  
Badlands made himself visible again; scaring the pants off Jean who didn't realize the man was behind her.  
  
"What? Me grow up? I tried that once. It wasn't any fun at all," Badlands said, feigning innocence in his answer.  
  
Glow rolled her eyes in the manner of the endlessly patient.  
  
"I still can't believe you married him, Mez."  
  
"My parents say that a lot too."  
  
Glow cast a quick glance around the room.  
  
"Where's Whirlwind?"  
  
"Kurt, Scott and Whirlwind are playing with that computer of Xavier's. You know, that big fancy expensive one that Whirlwind's been dying to get a chance to hack into."  
  
"Oh good G-d," Glow moaned. "We're never going to walk away with any money from this whole operation if she breaks it!"  
  
"I can show you where they are," Jean offered.  
  
"Please. That would be such a help."  
  
  
  
Jean and Glow found Whirlwind sitting at a computer console with Kurt on her left and Scott on her right, both reading over her shoulders.  
  
"Now what are you running?" Scott asked.  
  
"It's an encryption data base I designed myself. Completely unhackable. At least I think it is, I've got a couple more tests to run and." Whirlwind froze mid-sentence. The jovial woman turned ashen-faced.  
  
Glow moved up behind her and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
"I've found him."  
  
"Found who?" Kurt asked.  
  
"WHERE?" Glow questioned.  
  
"Here, I'm printing it out. We can be there in four hours."  
  
"Be where?" Scott inquired.  
  
"Who is this? What are we looking at?" Jean pushed in beside Scott, trying to see.  
  
"Every mutant's worst nightmare. Dr. DeLeon. Come on team second. We've got a doctor's appointment to keep," Glow said, taking the computer printout as she spoke.  
  
Whirlwind shut down her program and followed her team leader out of the room.  
  
"Will SOMEONE tell me what's going on?" Kurt wailed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Marching back into the living room, Glow barked out her orders.  
  
"Mezmerizer! Badlands! Report to the front of the building, we're teleporting out of here!"  
  
The couple was more then surprised that Glow would risk a teleport with all four of them, with Mez still tired.  
  
"Clue us in?" Badlands asked, falling in behind his leader and team second.  
  
"Show him," Glow ordered.  
  
Whirlwind held up the printout in front of Badlands. A madly curious Kurt was jumping up and down behind them trying to see what the big deal was.  
  
"Blood and Bloody Saints! We've got him!" the man exclaimed.  
  
"It's really him this time? You're sure?" Mez asked, breathless.  
  
"Yes," Whirlwind said. "That computer of Xavier's is incredibly good at finding people."  
  
The team marched with a determined purpose that sent chills up the spines of the younger folk.  
  
"Mez, call Xavier, have him meet us outside. We still have to talk fee."  
  
The telepath complied and her request was filled.  
  
Outside Glow had Whirlwind talk to Xavier about the transfer of funds for this job into F.T.T.'s dummy account. While Whirlwind made payment arrangements, Glow showed Mez the printout to fix the teleportation coordinates.  
  
Logan had caught a scent in the air that was part excitement, part anger and hate, and one touch fear. Intrigued, he followed it to the Future Tech Team gathered outside on the steps of the mansion.  
  
He wasn't the only one headed out there, the rest of the team--every last member--had followed the F.T.T.'s exit out of curiosity.  
  
Seeing Glow move away from Mez for a moment, Logan seized the chance to talk.  
  
"Didn't think you'd be leaving so soon," Logan said.  
  
"Don't worry, Furry. I'll be back in time for that dinner on Friday," Glow smiled at him and then took a step back.  
  
The Mezmerizer began to pulse with a red and gold light. She floated slightly above her team and the pulse enveloped them as well. There was a flash of bright light as Mez teleported them away and the X-Men could no longer see the Future Tech Team.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The catcalls began.  
  
"Ooo-la-la. Mr. Logan's got a hot date on Friday!" Evan jeered.  
  
Kitty and Rogue started giggling, and after a moment, so did Jean.  
  
Kurt almost couldn't believe his ears.  
  
"You've got a date with Glow? But she's like, a G.I. Joe commander-type person with a built in tazer! Man, I'd hate to be in your shoes if you ever break up!"  
  
"WE ARE NOT DATING! I'm just taking her out to dinner as a way of saying thanks for haulin' your butts out of a fire," Logan roared as he poked a finger in the middle of Kurt's chest, sending the teen off balance.  
  
Storm intervened, putting an arm around her fellow teacher.  
  
"Of course you are Logan. So. Black tie or casual? I could help you pick out a suit to match those dark mysterious eyes."  
  
"Oh! And flowers! You'll need flowers. I bet she'd like roses," Jean put in.  
  
"Don't forget the music! You could hire a violinist to serenade you two!" Rogue teased.  
  
"Chocolates! Godiva's, not the cheap kind... Oh, and ... " Kitty started to rattle off a list as Wolverine ran inside the mansion seeking peace.  
  
The girls all followed on his heels, calling out suggestions.  
  
"I don't know whether that's humorous or frightening," Xavier admitted.  
  
"Wow. Better him than me," Kurt affirmed.  
  
"You said it," Evan agreed as Xavier and Scott nodded. 


End file.
